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YANGON : A UN human rights envoy on Wednesday pressed Myanmar's junta to allow him to meet people other than officials and expressed concern over the arrest of a labour activist.
Paulo Sergio Pinheiro was "concerned" by the arrest of Su Su Nway during his mission to investigate the recent crackdown on pro-democracy protestors and other rights abuses, a UN official told AFP.
Su Su Nway, 35, was arrested on Tuesday while putting up anti-government posters in Yangon. She had been in hiding since leading a brief demonstration in Yangon in late August over soaring fuel prices.
"He is aware of the arrest made during his visit and has expressed his concern," Charles Petrie, the UN's top representative in Myanmar, told AFP.
"He will continue these discussions in his meetings tomorrow," said Petrie, whom the ruling generals are expelling, saying he has misrepresented the humanitarian situation in Myanmar.
Pinheiro on Wednesday met with Labour Minister Aung Kyi, who was appointed to liaise with detained opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi following international outrage at the junta's crackdown.
The envoy also met with the foreign and information ministers and reiterated his request to meet with non-government people, the UN said. He has also asked to meet prisoners.
"While thanking the authorities for the wide range of meetings with government officials, the special rapporteur renewed to the authorities his request to be given access to other non-government interlocutors," the UN said in a statement.
It said earlier Pinheiro was given assurances he would be able to meet prisoners before the end of his mission, but there was no indication of when this could take place as he leaves Thursday evening for Bangkok.
Human rights groups have called on Pinheiro to pressure the junta to release all political prisoners during his mission to investigate the deadly crackdown on the protests.
Amnesty International has estimated that 700 people arrested over the protests were still in detention, although the government said only 91 of the 3,000 originally rounded up were being held.
Pinheiro's meetings with top junta officials came as the UN Security Council said the generals must do more to ensure a dialogue with the opposition.
UN Security Council president Marty Natalegawa, Indonesia's UN envoy, said they welcomed recent positive steps by the generals but members had expressed concern "that many prisoners are still in jail and new arrests have occurred."
Authorities had earlier this month also seized a Buddhist monk, Gambira, who was a key leader of the massive anti-junta protests in September, exiled media groups and an activist said Wednesday.
Monks were at the forefront of the protests, which began as demonstrations against a surprise hike in fuel prices in August and snowballed into the biggest anti-government demonstrations the junta has faced since 1988.
The ruling generals are under pressure to make steps towards democracy after their violent crackdown on the protestors.
UN special envoy Ibrahim Gambari on Tuesday briefed the Security Council on his mission to Myanmar last week, which he said led to some "positive outcomes."
These included the regime's decision to release more than 2,700 detainees and political prisoners and allow talks between Labour Minister Aung Kyi and Aung San Suu Kyi, who has spent 12 of the past 18 years under house arrest.
"On balance, the positive outcomes of this latest mission show that the government of Myanmar... can be responsive to the concerns of the international community," Gambari said.
But he conceded that the regime "has yet to provide any assurance that it will lift restrictions on Aung San Suu Kyi," and cited "serious concerns about ongoing reports of human rights abuses and the willingness of the government to move forward in a new direction." - AFP/de
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